[Ravveendrra]

Last week the car went in for servicing with the ODO reading a little over 27000 km as it is now close to a year since its last service.

I had noticed a squeaking noise when the car was running, this was traced to worn brake pads in the front and they were changed. Rear brake pads were OK but now they will need to be changed due to a planned tour.

Engine oil was replaced (Mobil 1), Green Cotton filter was cleaned and oiled and a general check was done.

I also asked for a complete exterior and interior detailing including a wet look finish.

All this took one day and the total cost came to 14K.

Car is smooth and slightly more peppy now.

Cheers,

[anekho]

Nice thread Ravveendrra.

Just wondering, do you remove the pete's box before giving her in for servicing?

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by anekho

Nice thread Ravveendrra.

Just wondering, do you remove the pete's box before giving her in for servicing?

LOL no., in any case my car is out of warranty and this service was done by an independent. My A.S.S. knows about the box and in any case, I have connected a switch to the box so I can switch it on and off. Right now the car is running with the box in off mode.

Cheers,

[ACM]

Raveendrra, you have been among those on the thread to get a pete box, and if I recall for reasons of economy you have put the pete box in off mode, effectively 35k down the drain.

So this would qualify as the first kind of negative take on the pete box in terms of practicality of usage- Review???

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by ACM

Raveendrra, you have been among those on the thread to get a pete box, and if I recall for reasons of economy you have put the pete box in off mode, effectively 35k down the drain.

So this would qualify as the first kind of negative take on the pete box in terms of practicality of usage- Review???

I have mixed feelings about the Pete's box. I put it in when my Laura was my only car and I enjoy the extra torque thoroughly. With a light foot the box in fact improves FE, but I never was a light footed driver. Now, after the GTX has come, I use the GTX in the city and short quick drives out of the city, I get my kicks there so I drive the Laura more sedately and reserve it for longer runs.

The Pete's box is good. I would like to use it in the city where the extra punch puts me ahead of the bunch. I do not find much use for it on the highways as overtaking is never a problem in the Laura, so the drop in FE (highway) is just not worth it. The acc pedal also gives finer inputs to the engine without the box which is a great boon on the highway. I might use it in the hills where the extra torque can come in useful for steep climbs.

Cheers,

[MileCruncher]

Pardon my ignorance but can someone tell me what all constitutes interior and exterior detailing.

Cheers

[FlyingSpur]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Pardon my ignorance but can someone tell me what all constitutes interior and exterior detailing.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...-n-rhythm.html and http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...da-motors.html should be of some help.

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Pardon my ignorance but can someone tell me what all constitutes interior and exterior detailing.

Cheers

Actually it is just jargon for "andar, bahar saaf karo". In the old days you gave that instruction paid some 50 bucks and walked off. The guy would wash clean the outside and dust the inside and run a soapy cloth on parts that he could to remove stains.

Now you go to a 'detailer' who will do that in a more sophisticated manner - wash the outside, then give the car a coat of wax, perhaps he will also use some scratch and swirl remover and then wax, wheels, tyres and rubber parts are attended to seperately. The insides are vacuumed and several different materials, solutions, solvents etc. are used on different parts inside to remove stains, clean, polish etc.

Now since everything is such high-tech "andar, bahar saaf karna" the bill amount is also high-tech!

Cheers,

[ACM]

Originally Posted by Ravveendrra

Actually it is just jargon for "andar, bahar saaf karo". In the old days you gave that instruction paid some 50 bucks and walked off.

Now you go to a 'detailer' who will do that in a more sophisticated manner - wash the outside, then give the car a coat of wax, perhaps he will also use some scratch and swirl remover and then wax, wheels, tyres and rubber parts are attended to seperately. The insides are vacuumed and several different materials, solutions, solvents etc. are used on different parts inside to remove stains, clean, polish etc.

Now since everything is such high-tech "andar, bahar saaf karna" the bill amount is also high-tech!

Cheers,

Yep te Rs. 50 adds a couple of 00 and work out to Rs. 5000 - yep that is what the authorized service guys charge for a full detail job for one of the premium cars.

I somehowe always felt shortcharged and felt they do not actually do as good a job as they charge. Money is now the question but the job done must be as good.

[Ravveendrra]

Hello,

For those who missed my route query thread:AP to AP queries (Hyd-Vtz-Barddhaman-Siuri-Maldah-Siliguri-Tezpur-Tawang-Shillong) and the yet to be completed travelogue: AP to AP: In search of a white X-mas and found a street party!, here is the lowdown.


Soon after the service at 27K km, I replaced the rear brake pads as well as the Diesel filter. I got the tyres and alignment re-checked. I also changed back to stock air-filter from the Green Cotton one and we set off on a really long trip in the Laura. The total distance covered was 7234 km. We drove from Hyderabad to Tawang and thereafter to Shillong and returned to Hyderabad.


Here are a few observations and excerpts from my travelogue.

The luggage space in the Laura is truly humongous:




Pic Courtesy: Tirtankar Basu


Fully loaded with approx 250kg of luggage the GC did go down a bit. The weight however did not affect the handling or ride of the car in any way. Not once did the rear break away or swing out on curves, however sharply or fast we took them. Not once on the trip did the suspension bottom out on the rebound. The fully loaded (overloaded?) Laura was equally surefooted on the smooth and the rough. The ride was very smooth and the engine had enough and more power to lug all that weight around (our GPS showed a max speed of 183 and the speedo showed about 195 at that point). The car loped along in the 120 to 160 range when we found the roads to do it, it swallowed up the bumps and twisties with ease.


The amount of mud on the car shows the kind of terrain it covered.


The car behaved impeccably and returned an FE of 14.9 overall.

Besides me there were two other TBHPians in the trip and the Laura impressed us all. Several times the topic veered to: Which cars (not SUVs) could we have done this trip in? - Obviously it would have to be a saloon car as warm clothes take up a lot of space. The car should be able to takle the smooth fast roads and the bad roads with equal aplomb. The first requirement would be a great suspension set-up as the long distances over unknown roads demanded first class handling and the long hours required good ride. The engine would have to have enough power to cruise all day at fairly high speeds and it should have enough reserve power to overtake or get out of a sticky situation fast. The car should be solidly built and not develop creaks or rattles along the way. It should be capable of taking a fair bit of bashing to the suspension and underbody. The final list was - Skoda Octy, Skoda Laura, Fiat Linea, Ford Fiesta, SX4 and Toyota Corolla. Anything with a longer wheelbase was out as they would have resembled beached whales at several spots where the road is merely slush intermingled with stones.


The bottom of the Laura scraped against the bumps on the road or rocks in the road several times but, they are not really worrisome as the Laura does not come with a sump guard, it comes with an armour plate to guard the engine ! We had an opportunity to see such a plate in the Skoda workshop in Guwahati and oh boy, that piece of metal is impressive, it is a solid sheet of metal about 3 to 4 mm thick and pressed into shape to give it additional strength.

We bore with all that for:








The Pete's box stayed off throughout the trip. The car did not miss the Pete's box at any point of time. There was always enough power on tap. The fully loaded car climbed the steepest slopes easily and we were shifting up quite normally.


The Laura took everything in its stride, performed and handled superbly. In this pic, the car is taking a turn while climbing a steep grade. (See the speedo and the good luck charm hanging from the RVM).

Issues:

Very early into the drive, we realised that the brake disc rotors were slightly uneven as there was a slight shudder on braking at high speeds. This settled down and disappeared after sometime but has increased again slightly. It just might be dust accumulation on the pads, I will have to examine the brake disc rotors and take a call on replacing them.

The tie-rod ends have developed a little play and need to be looked into.

The suspension seems a little softer, this might disappear after a proper servicing, else the first thing to look into will be the suspension bushes, next the dampers.

Two tyres have developed small bulges on the sidewalls and will need to be examined carefully.

The air-filter probably needs to be replaced (it was cleaned once after about 3400 km).

The headlights need to be aligned using the VAG and headlight alignment unit.

The error codes need to be removed.

Oil will have to be changed due to the extremely dusty conditions we drove in.

The HVAC filter seems to have become clogged and will need to be cleaned / replaced.

Conclusion:

At one point of time I was toying with the idea of buying an Endeavour or a Safari (in their 4X4 avatars) or a 2nd hand C class or 3 series. This trip has convinced me to stick with the Laura. The ride & handling are fantastic, the NVH levels are extremely low and seats are excellently designed and made. On our return journey we were in the car for about 54 hours out of 67 (drove from Shillong to Hyderabad with only one stop) but not one of us got body ache or felt any fatigue.

Cheers,

[Akki_5]

Awesome! Nice to see somebody around here happy with a Skoda! :-)

[ricky_1605]

Hey guys

The AC compressor of my Skoda Laura (2007) is getting changed. I have heard about the AC problems in Laura. Can anyone tell me if the compressor of New Skoda Laura can be fitted? Also What is the name of company of the old compressor and new compressor?

[ACM]

The replacement AC compressor in later PD's were Sanden make. Don't remember what make the original was, but it was different from the one that i replaced it with. If I remember correctly getting this done in the authorized outlet was about 70k rs, while getting it done outside was about 38K rs (with cost of new compressor and gas included).

[kvothe_rules]

Hi ravveendrra,

I wanted your advice on Maintaining a skoda Laura. I am planning to purchase a pre-owned vehicle and wanted your inputs on where can I service this outside of A.S.S in Hyderabad.

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by kvothe_rules

Hi ravveendrra,

I wanted your advice on Maintaining a skoda Laura. I am planning to purchase a pre-owned vehicle and wanted your inputs on where can I service this outside of A.S.S in Hyderabad.

WOW! I almost forgot about this thread of mine, thanks for bumping it up. I would recommend Prabhu's New Mars Enterprises (Moosapet/KukatpallY) and Mazda Motors (Balamrai - Secunderabad), two very good multi-brand workshops.

Just be careful and ensure you go not get a car that has been abused. The PD engine is a fantastic mill and has a much wider torque range than the CRDi unit. If you find a good car with the PD engine do not let it go!

Cheers,